STUDY Could CBDs Cannabidiol help you quit smoking cigarettes?

A team of researchers from University College London published a study in the September issue of the journal Addictive Behaviorsthat investigated whether low doses of cannabidiol (CBD) would help treat nicotine addiction in tobacco smokers who want to quit.

The research team, led by Celia J.A. Morgan, used a double-blind, placebo-controlled model for their study, which consisted of 24 participants (12 male, 12 female) between the ages 18-35. In order to take place in the study, participants were required to smoke, on average, more than 10 cigarettes per day. That being said, they must also have expressed a desire to break the habit.

Participants were asked to record a number of cigarettes they consumed during the week prior to treatment. After baseline testing, they were split into two groups. Each group was provided with an inhaler – One group received CBD and the other received a placebo. They were then instructed to use the inhaler whenever they felt the urge to smoke.

During the course of the treatment week, participants were asked to record their inhaler use and the number of cigarettes smoked in a journal. Additionally, participants were asked, via text message, to rate their current level of craving once per day.According to the study’s results, the group receiving cannabidiol (CBD) treatment experienced a significant reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked. The same cannot be said of the placebo group, as there was a little-to-no change from pre- to post-treatment. Interestingly, the decreased cigarette consumption occurred despite the fact that there was no change in the level of craving reported each day.

According to the research team, craving is often used to indicate the potential for relapse. Cannabidiol (CBD) was found to reduce cigarette consumption without causing craving levels to rise, which the researchers referred to as “a potentially encouraging finding.”